Garden Grove : Council Votes Against Liquor at Gas Stations
Gas stations in Garden Grove won’t be able to sell liquor under a new city ordinance designed to combat the problem of drunk driving.
The ordinance, passed this week by a 4-1 City Council vote, with Councilman Walt Donovan dissenting, will not affect gas stations that already have beer and wine permits. The council will vote a second time on the issue at its Oct. 14 meeting, and the law will take effect 30 days later.
Donovan said he opposed the measure because it unfairly restricted the business’s right to make a profit. “It’s already against the law for anyone to drink and drive,” he said.
Such laws are necessary because so many people are injured or killed by drunk drivers, said Councilman Milt Krieger. He cited a November, 1980, incident in which Garden Grove Police Officer Michael Rainford was struck and killed by a drunk driver on the Harbor Boulevard on-ramp to the Garden Grove Freeway.
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